


Love spell

by Lynn1998



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Love spell trope, M/M, a lil angst, i literally spewed this out in like three hours shhhhh, sue me, v gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-27 16:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7625476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynn1998/pseuds/Lynn1998
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I…I dunno. It smelled really nice and it felt really nice, and then Lance pulled me back and…" he trailed off as he looked up at Lance. "…and I think I fell in love with you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something I guess

**Author's Note:**

> Idk wtf this is and idk where's it's going ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

"Okay, fellow paladins, our mission is simple. I researched a nearby planet and discovered three edible ingredients needed for dinner tonight. So, if any one would like something with substance for a change, I'd recommend being cooperative," Hunk announced.

"Wait, what?" Lance asked.

"I'm not a paladin. Why am I here?" Princess Allura asked. Hunk sighed.

"C'mon seriously I'm tired of food goo and there's some interesting agriculture nearby. We'll just make a quick stop and gather them real quick for dinner tonight," he said.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Keith spoke.

"Thank you. Now, there are three ingredients found on three different areas on the planet," Hunk pulled out a map of the planet. "On the beach, at the top of this waterfall, and in a creepy dark cave hidden behind the water fall-"

 

"Wait, why are there food ingredients in a creepy dark cave?" Lance asked.

"Good news Lance. You get to search the creepy dark cave now," Hunk replied.

"What! What did I do?" He squeaked in protest.

"You questioned his plan," Pidge replied.

"No I didn't I asked why there's a creepy dark cave!" Lance argued.

"It sounded like you were questioning his plan to me," Keith added in. Lance growled at him.

"Fine. I'll scope out the stupid cave," he grumbled.

"Great. Keith will go with you while Pidge and Allu-"

"Wait, why does _he_ have to go with me?" Lance interrupted again.

"Because you guys actually work good together sometimes and he'll be there to protect you when you get scared," Pidge answered for Hunk.

"Precisely," Hunk agreed.

"Okay. Now you guys are just being mean. I'm not gonna get scared in the creepy dark cave," Lance pouted.

"It's okay buddy, I'll be there to light the way," Keith assured him and patted his shoulder. Lance opened his mouth to snap at Keith, but Hunk resumed speaking before he could even inhale.

"Anyways. Shiro and I will go search at the top of the waterfall and Pidge and Allura will look on the beach," he said. "Any questions?"

"Nope," Shiro spoke and the rest shook their heads. Except for Lance who was still pouting.

"Great! Let's get going!"

     Coran landed the ship on the bigger part of the beach and they all followed Hunk to the waterfall he was talking about. Thankfully the atmosphere was breathable, so they didn't need to wear their helmets. They still wore their paladin suits to protect themselves from the elements, and also because they look cool a heck. When they got to the beach Pidge and Allura stayed behind and the rest of them traveled through the forest until they got to the water fall.

"Okay. This is where we split up. Shiro and I will meet you guys at the beach with Pidge and Allura," Hunk said as he put away his map.

"Ugh. Do we have to go through the waterfall?" Lance groaned.

"You'll survive, Lance," Keith told him and walked ahead of him around the pond.

"See ya guys!" The red paladin called as Hunk and Shiro headed up the mountain.

     Lance reluctantly followed him as he watched the other two walk away from them. _Great_ , he thought, _now it's just me and Keith. Perfect. Just perfect. Fantastic. There's nothing else more perfect then this moment right no_ -

"Stop thinking sarcastic thoughts and get over here," Keith cut in. Lance glared at Keith as he stood by the waterfall.

"You don't know what I was thinking," Lance replied.

"I can't know for sure, but judging by the look on your face you weren't exactly thinking happy thoughts," Keith replied. Lance frowned.

"…whatever…"

"But get up here. I think I found the cave," Keith said. Lance climbed up on the rock Keith was standing on and almost slipped. Luckily the red paladin caught him before he fell in to the pond.

"Oops! Gotcha," he said and pulled Lance up.

"I didn't need your help," he grumbled and secured his footing on the wet rock.

"Sure. If we go this way it looks like it leads behind the waterfall," Keith said and started walking across the rocks. 

     Lance followed him and paid attention to his footing so he wouldn't slip again. Talk about embarrassing. When they got to the big wall of rock that was hidden by the water they found an indent in the wall. It looked like a door frame, but the door was sealed shut for some reason. The two paladin's stood in front of the strange outline and couldn't see any way to open it.

"So uh…do I shoot it open?" Lance asked pulling out his bayard.

"I don't think-"

"Say no more," Lance said. He activated his bayard and shot at the door.

"Ack!" Keith cried out as a piece of rock flew out and hit him in the forehead.

"Oh crap! You okay?" Lance questioned as he deactivated his bayard and inspected Keith's forehead. The red paladin hissed and gingerly touched his forehead. Thankfully he didn't find any blood on his glove when he looked at his hand.

"I'm fine. Just be more careful," he grumbled.

"Let me see it," he insisted. Lance held the sides of Keith's head and tilted him until he could clearly see. A bruise was starting to form on his forehead between the parts of his fringe.

"Damn, that really hit you," Lance murmured.

     He pulled back Keith's black fringe and automatically pressed a light kiss to the bruise. It was muscle memory from all the times he had kissed his younger siblings boo-boos. When he let go of Keith's head and pulled back he was confused as to why he was blushing so hard. He raised a brow.

"You okay, Keith?" He asked.

"W-what was that? Did you just kiss me?" Keith questioned. Oh…Lance was now blushing too.

"Uh…sorry?" 

     He was about to explain how he always took care of his siblings like that when the door started to move and open up. They stared in to the darkness for a second before looking at each other and then back in the darkness.

"Okay…that was creepy," Lance said.

"Well. Hunk did say it was a dark creepy cave," Keith replied.

"Or was it a creepy dark cave?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Let's just go inside," Keith sighed.

     Yes it was a very dark and creepy cave, but after a wandering through a few feet of darkness they came across small pink crystals. The crystals lit up the path and it wasn't so dark anymore. It was still creepy though. Very creepy in fact. At least to Lance who was only slightly terrified.

"W-what are we looking for again?" He stuttered.

"Uh…some kind of pink flower?

     These crystals are really weird," Keith replied.

"How are they weird? We're on an alien planet, everything is weird," Lance pointed out.

"I know, but…they're just weird," Keith murmured.

"Oh hey, is this what we're looking for?"

     Keith looked up to where Lance was pointing. There was a single beam of light shining through the top of the cave, and it shone directly on a pink flower on a pedestal made of soil they saw outside of the cave. It shimmered in the sunlight, and it's petals spiraled out and away from the bud. The stem was green with yellowish veins, and it looked like there was something actively pumping through the veins. It was probably one of the strangest flowers Lance has ever seen, and he's seen quite a few strange flowers in his time traveling the universe. There was something about it that made him feel weird. Unsafe.

     Lance put a hand on Keith's shoulder when the red paladin went to approach it. He raised his brow at the blue paladin.

"What?" Keith asked.

"I dunno if I trust this…it's giving me weird vibes," Lance told him.

"Did you seriously just say vibes?"

"Yes! And I'm seriously being serious too! There's something funky about that plant, dude," he went on. Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Whatever. I'll just make sure to get the roots and some soil when I pull it up," he replied and walked past Lance.

"Keith! Get back here!" He hissed. The red paladin ignored him and walked up to the soil pedestal. He inspected the petals and the stem before touching it lightly with his finger. He could hear the blue paladin wince and gasp in fear, and turned around to show he was okay.

"It's fine, Lance. Don't worry," Keith assured him and then grabbed the plant.

"Keith! No!" Lance shouted.

     Keith pulled the flower but stopped when a certain scent hit his nose. It smelled like home and sunshine and happiness all in one. The paladin stared down at the flower as the yellow veins detached itself from the stem and started to climb on to Keith's armor. He was motionless as he watched the flower entangle itself between his fingers. It felt nice and it smelled nice too. There was something about it that lulled him into accepting the feeling and the veins as his own. All sound and sight slowly slipped away from him as he closed his eyes and inhaled the heavenly scent deeply. A smile spread across his face when he was suddenly being jerked away from the pleasant smell.

"What the-"

"Keith! You idiot!" Lance cursed.

     Keith blinked up at the blue paladin and couldn't look away. The curve of his jaw, the bob of his throat, the sweat that slid down his face. It was suddenly beautiful to Keith for some reason. He hung limp in Lance's arms as he was dragged away from the flower that had tried to consume him. He couldn't speak. He could only gap up at the new infatuation he had for his teammate. Once he was dragged out of the cave the door closed and all he could do was stare up at Lance with his head in the blue paladin's lap.

     As Lance caught his breath he didn't notice Keith's sudden interest with his face. He was too focused on the fact that Keith almost died or something and that they didn't get the frigging ingredient! His face pinched with anger as he glared at the door. He gently moved Keith's head off his lap and stood up to kick at the door. Keith sat up to watch him.

"Stupid…fucking…flower!" He growled and picked up a rock to throw at the door. After he stood there glaring at the door for a couple minutes he sighed and turned to make sure Keith was okay. He crouched down in front of his teammate and met his navy eyes.

"Are you okay, Keith? That flower was doing something weird. It had you under some kinda spell," Lance said. Keith nodded dumbly as he kept his eyes on Lance.

"I'm fine…" Keith murmured. Lance sighed with relief and patted his shoulder.

"That's good. I'm glad you're okay," Lance smiled. Keith's eyebrows raised a little and he smiled back.

"I'm glad you're okay too," Keith said. Lance nodded.

"Yeah. Uh. Thanks, but you're the one who got attacked by a weird flower, so you don't have to worry about me," Lance assured him and stood up. 

     He offered his hand to Keith and the red paladin accepted it. Once he was up on his feet he was grinning and Lance started walking through the rocks they came through. Thankfully the trip back wasn't long. It took Lance until they were halfway to the beach that Keith was still holding his hand. He stopped and turned back at the blushing red paladin and lifted a brow. Keith still had a pleasant smile on his face.

"Uh…you can let go of my hand," Lance told him.

"But I like it," Keith replied. Lance blushed too and looked away from him.

"F-fine…but I'm only letting you hold it because you got attacked and you're probably scared," Lance growled.

     Keith trembled with excitement. He knew he was acting strange, but he couldn't help the new attraction he had to Lance. Sure he was trying to fight it. That's why he hadn't blurted out how much he liked Lance and wanted to cuddle with him and kiss him and play with his hair and hug him and…oh dear. This was bad. Keith knew this was bad, but he couldn't help it. Was it that weird plant? When he was close to Lance he could've sworn he smelled that same amazing scent the flower produced. It was addicting. Just like Lance was all of the sudden. It was annoying how he wasn't annoyed by him any more but instead just extremely flustered and in to Lance. This was ridiculous.

     When they got down to the beach Pidge and Allura had already found their ingredient while Shiro and Hunk were barely five steps behind Lance and Keith. Everyone instantly noticed the hand holding, but Lance explained how Keith was attacked and he probably just needed some comfort. Everyone "believed" them, but the smile on Keith's face didn't sell the story pretty well. Lance was as lost as the other ones on the situation, so he wasn't sure how to respond to some of the teasing.

     Eventually they all boarded the ship and they left the planet with two of the three ingredients. Hunk assured Lance that he was okay and that the cave ingredient wasn't super important. That made Lance a little grumpy when he headed to his room, but he was distracted when he felt arms around his waist and warmth pressed against his back.

"What the-" he looked over his shoulders, but he couldn't see the face buried in to his neck. Chills ran up his back when Keith inhaled his scent and held him tighter.

"Keith! What are you doing?" Lance shouted.

"You smell nice," Keith replied. Lance blushed and tried to pry him off, but his embrace only tightened. The blue paladin groaned.

"Dude stop smelling me, that's creepy!" He hissed.

"You smell like the flower," Keith hummed.

"The flower? Okay I'm taking you to Coran," Lance said. 

     Keith didn't move, so Lance had to pick up his legs and piggyback him to Coran instead. They found him in the main deck inspecting the crystal and making sure the ship was on track to their next destination. Lance grunted when he set Keith's legs down, but he lost his balance and tumbled down on his face. Keith of course came down with him and still clung to his waist as Lance flipped around and rubbed at his head.

"Coran. We gotta dilemma," Lance said. Keith remained between Lance's legs.

"A lover's quarrel?" Coran asked glancing at them.

"Ha ha very funny. I think the flower we were supposed to get messed up Keith's nose. He keeps smelling me," Lance told him.

"Smelling you?" Coran asked stepping away from the crystal.

"Yeah, and like he held my hand from the waterfall to the ship. I dunno what's going on, but when he tried to pull up the flower it started to like try and eat him or something? I dunno he got all limp like a rag doll and now he's acting funny and smelling me," Lance reported.

"Is he responsive?" Coran asked crouching down to poke Keith's head. The red paladin looked up and shot him a glare.

"Uh, kinda?"

"Keith. Can you tell me what happened when you tried to pull up the flower?" Coran asked. Keith blinked at him.

"I…I dunno. It smelled really nice and it felt really nice, and then Lance pulled me back and…" he trailed off as he looked up at Lance. "…and I think I fell in love with you."

     Lance turned bright red and his eyes widened. Oh no. That wasn't good. At least it wasn't good for Lance's heart. Okay that was really messing with his head. Keith? In love with him? Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh-

"That's actually very probable. I've taken the time to research human health and psychology, and it's very possible that the high amounts of dopamine triggered in your brain caused you to associate that nice feeling with the first thing you saw. Your mind _thinks_  that you're in love," Coran explained.

"B-but he's not really in love with me, right?" Lance stuttered. Coran nodded.

"This is merely a temporary thing. The scent of the flower is most likely still lingering in Keith's nasal cavity, and is triggered when he sees you. It'll wear off," Coran assured him.

"How long will it take to wear off?" Lance asked.

"Uh…a few days? Maybe a week give or take. It might be a month maybe…depends on how much pollen he was exposed to."

"It was all over him. I held my breath and turned my face away when I pulled him away. I didn't smell anything," Lance told him.

"Ah. Well then it's probably going to last two weeks."

" _Two weeks!_ " Lance yelled.

"Two weeks for what? Oh hey you two are cuddling on the floor, how cute," Hunk said as he entered the room.

"Why the _fuck_  did you need a love spell flower for dinner!" Lance shouted at him.

"Language, Lance," Hunk said softly.

"I don't give a shit! Keith is in love with me because of your stupid flower!"

"Well I didn't know it would do that," Hunk defended. Lance growled and let his body lay limp on the floor. Keith rested his head on Lance's stomach and looked up at him.

"What are you boys yelling abou-aw. They look so cute," Shiro said as he entered after Hunk.

"S-shut up!" Lance snapped.

"What's going…oh look at that. I knew they liked each other," Allura fawned.

"We do not like each other!" Lance protested and popped his head back up. He then noticed Keith's navy eyes on him and blushed before slamming his head on the floor.

"Ow," he groaned.

"Don't tell me. They're being gay, aren't they?" Pidge asked as they walked in.

"Hey! The whole family is here!" Coran cheered.

"Go away," Lance whined.

"This is when you say, 'mom, dad, Pidge, Hunk…I'm gay'," Pidge said.

"I won't hesitate to strangle you," Lance threatened. He avoided looking up again since he knew Keith would be staring at him with those eyes.

"Wait, who's mom and dad?" Coran asked.

"I have to go," Pidge said and turned around to leave.

"Yeah me too," Hunk agreed.

"Let's leave the love birds alone," Shiro agreed.

"You all suck!" Lance shouted.

"See ya later," Coran dismissed and joined the others in leaving them behind.

"I hate you all!"

"Bye!"

__

* * *

 

     The first day was the hardest. Lance could barely walk around with Keith hanging off of him like a damn child. Eating was a nightmare with Keith latched on to his arm, and whenever he sat down Keith somehow nuzzled under Lance's arm. It was sickeningly adorable, but Lance only pushed him away and pouted.

     The day went on as normal for everyone else. Shiro took advantage of Keith not using the training deck for once and got a nice work out, Hunk was cooking dinner, and Pidge was playing around with their computer. Allura was doing whatever badass princesses did and Coran was cleaning out the healing pods. Lance was stuck basically babysitting Keith and avoiding interacting with him. Keith was mostly quiet, but he couldn't help but initiate contact with Lance.

"Goddammit! You're so clingy! You're like a baby," Lance grumbled as he felt Keith's arms around his waist again.

"Can you shut up and deal with it? I can't exactly help it," Keith mumbled. Lance groaned and leaned back against his seat.

"I hardly believe that. Just keep your hands to yourself," he grumbled.

"Lance, you don't understand," Keith argued. Lance risked a glance at Keith and instantly regretted it. He looked so sincere and hopeful as his hand lingered over Lance's belly. The blue paladin had to look away.

"Alright…fine," he allowed.

     Keith smiled and found his way under Lance's arm again. Lance was silent for a moment and didn't move against Keith. Instead he watched the space mice scurry through the room and tried to ignore the situation that he was in. That little smile on Keith's face stayed there as he rested his eyes a bit. He was in his own little blissful world when he was close to Lance, and he loved the way his chest felt fuller when he took in that scent again. When he opened his eyes again they briefly connected with Lance's.

"So uh…what's it like?" Lance asked. Keith blinked.

"What's what like?" He asked.

"I dunno. Being under a love spell?"

"Uhm…" Keith thought for a moment. So far it had been a series of emotions. Like a rollercoaster. "It's weird. Mostly good. Like when I'm around you I feel really happy and we know why, but it feels more than just dopamine and whatever. When I was away from you I got really restless and kinda grumpy," he explained.

"Well you're always kinda grumpy," Lance murmured. Keith smiled.

"I love you," he blurted. Lance turned bright red and glared at Keith.

"D-don't just _say_ that! Jesus Christ!" He hissed. Keith chuckled a little.

"Sorry…that was the love spell talking," he said.

"Ugh. You better not actually fall in love with me because I couldn't handle this," Lance grumbled.

"Only if you don't fall in love with me back," Keith said and turned his body to face Lance more.

"Stop flirting with me," Lance replied.

"Wait…am I flirting?" Keith asked. Lance glares at him.

"Are you meaning to say that this whole time you've been flirting with me on accident?" He deadpanned. Keith blushed.

"I'm fighting it. I really am, but…I don't realize half of what I'm saying or doing," he said sheepishly. Lance sighed.

"What am I going to do with you?"

 

* * *

 

     It had been a week. Seven days of pushing Keith away and bickering with him as he flirted and cuddled with him. Sometimes he found himself cuddling back a little bit. It was always on accident, of course. He never _intentionally_ cuddled back because he didn't like Keith. He hated Keith. Right? Yeah. Never mind how cute he looked when he stared up at Lance with his head on his lap, and what did in matter if he had a stupidly adorable smile on his face whenever Lance paid any attention to him. He didn't care. Who cared? Lance surely didn't care. He didn't care at all. Emotions are stupid and Keith is stupid and he didn't _care_.

     Except he kinda did. He cared about Keith a little bit more because it was hard not to when his emotions were so heavily influenced by Lance. It was impossible not to worry about him on missions since he was basically drugged out on love hormones, and it was impossible not to care when Keith was waiting by his door when he woke up. Most of all it was impossible not to feel anything whenever he blurted that he loved him.

     Lance missed the word love. He heard it at home all the time, and it only made him more homesick. Keith, despite how unlike himself the pollen made him, understood that. Usually he would just stop saying it for a while, but go back after five hours or so. Recently he was more thoughtful in his response. He would offer a hug or listen when Lance talked about his family and his home. It was weird…and obviously more than infatuation at that point. Damn that pollen did a good job at creating love.

     As weird as it was to wake up and find your teammate in the morning it was weirder when you got used to it and it suddenly didn't happen. Lance ran in to that predicament one time after a week and a half since the love spell. He looked around and checked the time to see it was only midnight…what was he doing up? His body wasn't tired anymore, so going back to sleep wasn't an option. So he wandered around the ship instead. He wasn't sure where he was going exactly until he found himself in the training deck making explicit eye contact with Keith. The red paladin sat on the floor and shifted awkwardly before speaking.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," Lance replied.

     The awkwardness was almost tangent in the air. So mailable that Lance could pick some out and suffocate himself with it. He stood there for a little bit before shuffling over next to him in his slippers and sitting down next to him. Keith automatically leaned his head on Lance's shoulder and sighed. Lance hesitated, and for once leaned his head back. Keith smiled and buried his face in Lance's neck while his hands caressed his forearm and nape.

"Do you think the spell is wearing off yet?" Lance asked. Keith shook his head.

"I asked Coran about it. He said it usually fades gradually, but it feels like it's only gotten stronger," he hummed. Lance chuckled.

"It's almost been two weeks," Lance pointed out.

"Coran said it should've faded by now…he took samples from my nose and everything," he said. Lance chuckled. It was quiet again, but Lance didn't mind it. He allowed himself to enjoy Keith's presence for once and rest his eyes for a moment.

"…do you think it's gonna wear off soon?" Lance heard himself ask. Keith tightened his grip on Lance's arm and pulled his head back.

"I dunno," he mumbled.

"What if…what if it doesn't?" Lance asked. Keith looked up at him.

"I dunno," he answered quietly. Lance furrowed his brows and reached over to pull some hair from the corner of Keith's mouth.

"Well…it wouldn't be the end of the world if you were in love with me forever," he decided. Keith blinked at him.

"Are you sure?" He whispered. Lance blushed a little.

"I mean…I kinda like…this? It was annoying at first but…I kinda like it now," he replied. He said "this" and "it" in place of "you". Lance hated to admit it, but he was actually starting to fall for Keith. Which was…kinda hard for him to accept.

"Yeah?" Keith asked. Lance swallowed hard and nodded. He realized his thumb was lingering and caressing Keith's cheek, but he didn't pull it away.

"Yeah…it's nice. You're nice. This is all…nice," he said. 

     Keith giggled a little and leaned in to Lance's hand cradling the side of his face. He bit his lip and enjoyed the feeling of Lance touching him. It made him feel good, and his amazing scent only intensified.

     Oddly enough the original oder had faded completely. Instead it was replaced with something more _Lance_. It was hard to explain, but it smelled more grounded. Less sweet like the flowers original scent. Keith loved it even more and took every opportunity to push it in to his memory. Sometimes he couldn't even remember the original scent, and it didn't even matter anymore so he wasn't sad about it. There were times when he did remember the original stench and was thankful for Lance to wash it out with his natural earthy smell instead. He truly loved it and it kinda scared him. A lot of things scared him actually.

     Keith was scared he was actually falling in love. He was scared that Lance wouldn't love him back. He was scared that all the feelings inside of him would just drop one day and he'd feel empty because honestly he's never felt so _alive_  since he fell in love with Lance. He didn't want to lose these intense yet amazing feelings. Not yet at least. Just a little longer until he was satisfied. Then again, what could satisfy him?

"I wanna kiss you," Keith blurted. Lance blushed, and Keith instantly recognized his mistake. Oh no…

"Um…"

"S-sorry! I shouldn't have-"

"I mean-" Lance was interrupted when Keith turned his head away and kept his hands to himself for once.

"S-seriously just ignore that. I shouldn't have said that it was out line a-and I understand that this is all just the pollen and whatever," he rambled, and inched himself away from Lance.

     Lance was speechless. He couldn't stop staring at Keith. When did he become so cute? When did Lance start to like him? Why did he enjoy the feeling of Keith next to him? And why did he hate it when he wrenched himself away? Everything was so confusing and complicated until Lance just stopped thinking and stared instead. He saw the pink on Keith's cheeks and his teeth bite his bottom lip. He saw Keith fiddling his thumbs as his toes knocked against each other. Then it was clear.

_Lance was in love with Keith._

So…now what was he supposed to do?


	2. Chapter 2 I guess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talking, boy advice, more talking, never have I ever…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have no frickin clue what I'm doing

     Keith sat on the floor while Coran tidied up the healing pods. Lance was just inside one of them again after he accidentally tripped in to a nest of some nasty alien bugs. Thankfully those didn't have any love spell type affects on him. He still had to spend a good hour in the pod just to reduce the bites to the size of chicken pox. After that they would heal with no pain within a couple days. Keith's recovery from his last alien endeavor wasn't doing so well. He huffed as he thought and thought. It was hard being away from Lance for so long, but he needed to talk to Coran. It's been two weeks exactly.

"Did you and Pidge get any results from the nose swabs?" Keith asked hopefully.

"Yes actually. There's exactly zero amounts of that pollen left in your nose. You should be free of your hellish imprisonment," Coran reported cheerfully.

"A-are you sure? Maybe you should check again," Keith suggested. Coran laughed.

"Oh no, Keith. You remember how thoroughly I swabbed your nose. It's probably still clean from then," he said.

"But what if you missed something?" Keith pushed. Coran sighed and set his rag and cleaner fluids down. He approached the young paladin and crouched down to see him better.

"Listen, Keith. Love is an amazing thing. Even when it's caused by an alien flower that tried to kill you. Now. You're probably really sad because Lance doesn't make you feel good like he used to, but it'll be okay. You'll find someone who makes you feel amazing without the pollen," Coran assured him and patted his shoulder. Keith furrowed his brows.

"That's not the case, Coran, but…thanks I guess," he replied.

"Well then what is the case? Hopefully I can be of some help," he offered. Keith blushed and looked down at the wire he was fiddling with in his fingers.

"I…are you sure I shouldn't be feeling any of the side effects by now?" He asked. Coran blinked and then laughed. Keith's blush deepened.

"Oh Keith, even the slightest amount of that pollen couldn't have the same side effects. You should have no lovey dovey feelings for your most hated friend whatsoever," Coran confirmed. Keith groaned and slammed his forehead in to his palms.

"Please just tell me that there's something left. Even if it's just a lie just tell me this isn't _real_ ," he begged. Coran frowned.

"Keith…is there something wrong?" He asked. Keith was silent for a moment before nodding.

"What is it?" Coran settled for sitting next to the red paladin instead of crouching and leaned in to listen better.

"I just…I still feel things," he murmured.

"What kind of things?"

"So many things, Coran…he…he makes me feel like I'm the moon and he's the sun…o-or like we were both destine for _anything_  but each other and yet I won't listen to my destiny. H-he makes the universe feel deeper and look fuzzier, and when I can hear his voice I know I'll be okay," Keith went on and on about it. Coran nodded as his listened.

"Okay. Is that it?"

"Not even close, Coran. I hate him. Seeing him just _stand_  next to someone drives me insane. Whether it's Hunk or Shiro or Pidge or even _you_ for Christ's sake. I can't stand it. I don't like being away from him and I get restless. I'm still spending my mornings outside of his room because I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this giant mess I'm in."

"Oh wow."

"He still smells good, but it's different now. He smells like _Lance_ and there's nothing I can do to make the smell go away. But I don't want it to go away because it makes me feel good still. It's like the pollen but worse because I don't know where it's coming from and I'm really fucking scared," he finished. Coran blinked at him and cleared his throat before putting his hand on Keith's shoulder.

"I hate to break it to you Keith, but…" he trailed off and Keith looked up at him. He looked so scared and terrified it kinda broke Coran's heart. Kinda. "…I think you're actually in love with Lance."

     Keith's fist clenched. His entire body tensed up as he processed what Coran was saying. Holy shit. He was actually in love with Lance, wasn't he? He was speechless for a moment.

"…what do I do about it?" He nearly whispered. As if the wall suddenly had ears.

"Well…usually when humans love each other they tell each other," Coran replied. Keith sighed. That wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"I don't think I can do that," Keith murmured.

"You don't have to _tell_ him exactly. You could write a poem, or sing him a song that expresses your emotions for-"

"Ew ew no I'm not gonna do that," Keith denied instantly.

"Okay…maybe you could just be honest?" Coran suggested. Keith blinked at the Altean.

"Couldn't you just put me in a healing pod instead?" He asked. Coran frowned.

"Keith, the healing pod doesn't cure feelings or else we would've but you in there when you first got attacked," Coran replied. Keith groaned and slapped his palm to his face.

"Ugh…this is so stupid," he whimpered. Coran patted his shoulder again comfortingly.

"It's okay, Keith. I think that as long as you're honest things will be okay," he assured Keith. The red paladin nodded.

"Thanks…"

 

* * *

 

"What do you mean 'it's over'?" Lance asked with a mouthful of food goo.

"I mean it's over. The pollen is completely gone," Keith replied. He was sitting next to Lance and it was killing him not to initiate any contact.

"Oh…so you're not in love with me anymore?" Lance questioned. Keith nodded looking at the table.

"Our feelings for each other are now back to mutual hate," he said.

"Oh…okay. I guess…I guess that's good then," Lance said quietly.

"Yup. Now you don't have to deal with me all the time because I'm revolted by you because I don't love you anymore, isn't it great?" Keith rambled nervously as he picked at his fingernail.

"Revolted? Um…I guess? It was kinda nice since you were less of a little shit when you were fawning all over me," Lance teased with a smile. Keith forced himself not to look and blushed a little.

"I-I couldn't help it, okay? It's not like I'm gonna do that stuff anymore…like…gross," he mumbled. Lance laughed and patted Keith's shoulder before standing up. What was with everyone and his shoulder?

"Aw man, I'm gonna have so much fun making fun of you for this now. I can't believe it went as far as telling me you wanted to _kiss_  me," he said taking his now empty plate. Keith's heart did a little flip. Just for the hell of it probably because emotions were fickle and stupid as hell.

"Hahahahh! Y-yeah! How stupid," Keith agreed and stood up too.

"Although I can totally understand why your love-drugged brain wanted to smooch the ultimate smoocher. I'm know for making my partners faint from how awesome my kissing skills are," Lance bragged. Keith raised a brow. Something different about actual love and the flower love was that Lance was actually kinda annoying again.

"Uh-huh. I'm sure people are lining up from all across the universe just to get a peck on the cheek," Keith said following Lance as he disposed of his plate and walked down the halls.

"Haha! You bet! One time I kissed this girl and she totally like started crying and I was like 'what's wrong sweet thang' and she was like 'you're just so good at kissing Lancey-"

"Lancey?" Keith questioned with a smirk. Lance blushed and then cleared his throat.

"Well, y'know girls…always trying to make words sound cute and all…ha ha…" he replied. Keith laughed a little, and Lance hated how much he loved that sound.

"Okay I see what you mean. I've never been with a girl before, but yeah I know what you're talking about," Keith replied.

"Wait, you've never been with a girl?" Lance asked. Keith blushed and shook his head as he looked at the ground.

"No…I never had any attraction towards them," he confessed rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh…so…you like…men, huh?" Lance said awkwardly. Keith's blush deepened.

"I-I guess you could s-say that," he stuttered.

"Well uh…love is love and all that. I accept you and stuff," he said. Keith looked up at him with furrowed brows. Oh yeah. Lance was annoying again now.

"Gee thanks. I was worried about the homophobic aliens, but your support means a lot to me," he replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome, bud," Lance said and patted his back. 

     Seriously what was up with everyone touching him? Except Lance kinda lingered compared to Coran…or did he? Was it just Keith's brain hanging on to any hope for Lance to reciprocate his feelings, or was Lance just being…Lance? It was hard to tell. Especially after that night when he said those things. Things like "it" was nice and "this" was nice and "it wouldn't be the end of the world if you were in love with me forever". Everything was kind of confusing after he said all of that. Keith couldn't tell if Lance felt anything or if he was just being nice.

"Well uh…this is… _my_ room," Lance murmured as their walk came to an end. Keith blinked. Damn. Did he really follow Lance to his room? Did Lance really let him without questioning it?

"Right…I was headed this way anyways," Keith lied.

     Lance nodded and they stood awkwardly in front of his door. Neither of them seemed to want to leave, but neither of them seemed to know what to say either. Keith coughed a little and said a quiet goodbye before walking past his room. Lance opened his door and hesitated before going in. He gave a frustrated sigh.

"Hey, Keith!" He called. The red paladin stopped and turned to look at Lance.

"Yeah?" He replied. Lance hesitated again and bit his lip.

"Y'know…we can still be kinda close…a-and y'know…" he coughed over the word "cuddle" and then cleared his throat. "…and stuff…I kinda got used to it, y'know?" He finished. Keith blinked at him and then smiled a little. He nodded and his blush returned.

"Sure. That sounds nice."

"Yeah…nice."

 

* * *

 

     Keith found himself back in the training deck at midnight again. He couldn't sleep, but that wasn't exactly new. All he could think about was the words that Lance had offered to him. Being close to him sounded good right then, but he didn't want to disturb him. It would be too weird if Keith just crawled in to bed with him, right? He never did that when he was under the pollens influence. Instead he would just camp outside of Lance's room and wait for him to wake up. He couldn't do that now though. He wasn't "in love" with him any more. It was "over" as he had said. Damn emotions were hard…

     The red paladin sighed and thought about the last time he was in the training deck with Lance. How warm his skin was, and how soft his voice was. Just the memory made him feel warm inside, but it also made him ache. He ached for it again. Why did he always crave affection at the worst times? Sure Lance said they could stay close and all, but Keith was always too anxious to initiate it. It had only been a day anyways. A day filled with longing and desperation met with lingering touches and bragging on Lance's end.

     Keith didn't know why Lance always bragged to him all the time now. It seemed like everything he said somehow related to how desirable he was. He's so beautiful oh he's so hot everyone wants a piece of him. As if Keith wasn't already hopelessly in love with him he had to rub in his face how much he couldn't have him. It annoyed him, but he still wanted to be around and talk to Lance. Curse those damn emotions for ruining everything.

     Finally Keith sighed and got up to leave the training deck. He walked back to his room, but was distracted when he saw Hunk shuffling to his own room from the kitchen. The yellow paladin spotted Keith and gave him a sleepy smile and waved.

"Hey, Keith," he yawned.

"Hey, Hunk," Keith replied.

"What are you doing up so late?" Hunk asked. Keith shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep I guess," Keith murmured.

"Aw that sucks. Is there something on your mind?" Hunk questioned. Keith hesitated for a little. He couldn't tell anyone he was still in love with Lance, but he wished he could. It would be nice if he could get some input from someone. Apparently he hesitated too long because Hunk was talking again.

"Too much to tell?"

"Yeah…a little. I was um…" how would he go about this? "…I was thinking about this…" to come out or not to come out? "…person I knew back on earth. Uh we were pretty close and um…I kinda liked…that person."

"Ah. Memories from earth, huh? Are you homesick?" Hunk asked.

"Kinda, but I can't stop thinking about this person. I couldn't tell if…he liked me back, and it's been bothering me ever since," he lied. The pronouns didn't even phase Hunk.

"Well how did he act around you? From a dude to another dude dudes aren't really forward with their words. It's mostly actions, right?"

"Oh…r-right," Keith nodded. "Uh…he kinda bragged about himself a lot. He would touch me sometimes and sometimes it felt like he would linger a little bit, y'know?"

"Ah I see what's going on," Hunk said. Keith blushed.

"Y-you do?"

"Of course! You're just bad at reading between the lines. This dude definitely liked you. When he was bragging about himself he was trying to show off to you. Y'know when chickens strut around to show off their feathers and whatever? That's what we dudes do. It's how we strut," Hunk explained. Keith gave a mental sigh of relief.

"Oh…wait, you think he likes me?" Keith asked.

"He might still like you. I dunno. How long has it been since you've seen him?"

Oh crap.

"O-oh sorry my bad. I meant do you think he _liked_  me not likes like…presently," Keith fixed.

"Ah, I see. Yeah I think he liked you. Dudes are kind wimpy when it comes to feelings so that was his way of saying he wanted to be be with you and stuff," Hunk assured him.

"Okay…thank you," Keith nodded.

"No problem. Is he still on earth you think?" Hunk asked.

"Um no," Keith answered.

"Where do you think he is then?"

"Uh. He died."

" _What?_ "

"Yeah he's dead and gone forever. Thanks for the talk. Goodnight."

 

* * *

 

"What kind of game is this again?" Allura asked.

"Never have I ever. A classic slumber party game amongst us humans on the human planet. An important part of human culture celebrated by humans," Lance replied.

"Stop saying the word human," Pidge said.

"Never have I ever is basically a game of spite. Lance always makes me intentionally lose. You start out with ten fingers up, and someone says 'never have I ever…' and finish the sentence, and if you _have_ done what the person is saying they haven't done then you put down a finger. Once you have all fingers down you're out," Hunk explained.

"That is a very strange game," Allura murmured.

"It's stupid and it's dumb, but it's the only game Lance can't find a way to get you to kiss him. Plus he always loses," Pidge told her.

"Ah…I see. Am I the only first timer here?" She questioned.

"I think so," Lance replied.

"I've never played before," Keith pipped in.

"What? Really?" Lance asked. Keith nodded.

"I never had a lot of slumber parties."

"Damn. Well let's hope your first never have I ever game doesn't turn in to a disaster," Hunk mumbled. They were all silent.

"…does anyone have any wood to knock on?" Pidge asked.

"Oh hush! Everything will be fine," Lance snapped.

"If you say so…" Hunk sighed.

     The group went on to start the game. It went pretty smoothly and Lance was already almost out. Mostly because Hunk was deliberately trying to get him out while Lance was doing the same thing to him. They went around the circle saying "never have I ever…" and at least one person put down a finger each turn. Allura was laughing non stop and agreed that it certainly was a game of spite. She found it hilarious how humans tried to hurt each other in the smallest ways.

"Okay okay okay…never have I ever…kissed a dude," Pidge said. Lance blushed and he glared at Pidge.

"What are you getting at?" Lance asked. Pidge blinked.

"What do you mean?" They replied.

"Listen if you're trying to go after Keith do something else, okay?" He told them. Keith blushed and Pidge frowned.

"What? No, I didn't mean it like…what are you talking about?"

"Lance, I haven't told _everyone_ ," Keith hissed. Lance froze and turned bright red.

"N-never mind!" He shouted.

"Wait, Pidge did you not know?" Hunk asked.

"Huh?" Keith looked at Hunk with wide eyes. Please no.

"I mean…it's kinda obvious, Keith," Hunk told him. The red paladin joined Lance in his blush.

"I-is it?" He stuttered. Lance cursed in his head. Keith was cute without even trying.

"What is? Guys I'm lost," Pidge said.

"Keith is gay," Hunk announced.

"I-it's not like it matters anyways I've never kissed a dude so I'm not putting down a finger," Keith snapped. Lance bit his lip. Never kissed a dude, huh? That was interesting.

"Okay okay whatever let's just move on," Pidge said. Hunk nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Now it's my turn. Watch and learn, Pidge," Hunk grinned.

"Oh no," Lance muttered as Hunk cleared his throat. "He's coming for me."

"RIP Lance," Keith whispered. Lance suppressed a giggle and nudged Keith with his elbow.

"Never have I ever…been in love," Hunk said. Lance and Keith blinked.

"Does it count if it was because of an alien flower that tried to eat me?" Keith asked.

"Yup. That's why I said it," Hunk replied. Keith cursed and put down a finger.

     Lance stared hard at his own fingers. He had three left and he couldn't decide if he should put one down. On one hand it was a game of honesty and so far everyone else has been honest, so why shouldn't he? On the other hand everyone would hound him and ask him who it was and…he definitely couldn't tell them. He wiggled one of his fingers trying to decide if he should put it down.

"Lance…are you gonna put it down or not?" Allura asked. Lance blushed.

"Uh…I-I dunno," he stuttered.

"It's okay Lance, we all know you're in love with Allura," Pidge assured him.

     The blue paladin bit his lip in thought. He tried very hard to ignore that comment and snuck a glance over at Keith. His eyes were stuck on Lance's restless finger as if he was waiting for it to tell him his future. Perhaps it was…but Lance felt so nervous he didn't know if he could do it. 

"Did the pollen effect you too?" Hunk asked. Lance snapped his eyes to Hunk.

"W-what?"

"You're looking at Keith for some reason," Hunk pointed out.

"N-no I'm not!" Lance denied. Keith stared at the floor with wide eyes as he listened.

"Hey, Lance, it's okay if the pollen effected you," Shiro assured Lance and patted his shoulder.

"Pfff! No! I wasn't effected by the pollen! I've never been in love! Love is stupid, it's for losers!" Lance lashed out. His body tensed as he kept his head down to hide his red face.

     Keith trembled. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. He was terrified. Hearing Lance lash out like that filled him with fear because he couldn't tell if he was being honest or defensive. It scared him to think Lance was being honest. It was scary to think Lance wasn't lying. So scary that Keith felt like he couldn't breath.

   Before he knew it he was standing up and running away. Keith didn't even register the concerned shouts that followed him down the halls. He didn't even know where he was going he just knew he needed to get _out_. It was suffocating being in the same room as Lance, and he couldn't stand it. He stopped when he got to his room and panted as he slid down to sit against the wall. His knees where up against his chest and he buried his head in his arms.

"Christ…" he wheezed to himself and clutched his fists.

     Barely a minute passed when he heard footsteps coming closer to him down the hallway. He looked up with wide eyes and instantly spotted Lance running towards him. His heart stopped. What the hell was he doing here? The fear he felt earlier resurfaced and Keith scrambled up to his feet before running off again. He heard Lance desperately calling his name, but he didn't slow down. Instead he turned a corner and accidentally ran his shoulder right in to the wall. He groaned and fell to the floor after losing his balance.

"Christ! Keith!" Lance called and quickly approached him. 

     Keith rushed to get up on his feet and stumbled even more before leaning against the wall to stabilize himself. He managed to start running again, but this time he got caught. Lance grabbed his wrist and wrapped his arm around his waist as he pulled Keith to a halt. Keith whimpered in protest and tried to wiggle loose, but he couldn't find the strength to deny Lance's warm grasp. He slowly sunk down to his knees and buried his face in to Lance's abdomen. His arms wrapped around the blue paladin and he let out a shaky exhale.

     They were both quiet for a while, and then Lance gently combed his fingers through Keith's hair. Before he could look up Lance was sinking down until he was hugging Keith with all his might. The red paladin's inhaled trembled just as badly as his exhale, and he realized he was crying. It was a surprise to him and he wiped the tears away and looked at the wetness incredulously. Lance sighed and pulled back.

"Are you okay? What happened?" He asked. Keith blinked at him. Was he really asking that question?

"It's nothing," he lied. Lance frowned.

"Keith. Don't fucking lie to me, okay? We're teammates, and we're…" he struggled to find the word. "We're buddies or something, and we need to be honest with each other, okay? So tell me what happened," Lance urged.

"I don't want to tell you," Keith admitted without difficulty.

"Why not?" He asked softly.

"It's not important," Keith said. He wanted to look away, but he was so captivated by the concern in Lance's eyes.

"C'mon, Keith. You're crying. Don't tell me it's not important," he murmured and wiped a tear from Keith's chin.

"Can we just…talk about it later?" He practically begged. Lance sighed and pulled Keith back in to his embrace.

"Whenever you want."

 

* * *

 

     It was silent in Lance's room. He stared up at his ceiling while his mind lulled back and forth between over thinking and dosing off. It had been a long day, and he desperately wanted to sleep but he was worried. The memory of Keith's shocked face and fresh tears shook him. It made him nervous beyond belief that it was because of something he said or something he did. Sure he lashed out a little bit, but he had hoped that Keith could see through his bullshit and understand. Understand that Lance was in love with him.

     Hearing Keith tell him it was over so casually definitely did something to him. It didn't exactly break his heart, but it cracked it probably. Lance didn't want to look hurt, so he had spent his time with Keith lightly flirting and bragging about himself in hopes that maybe, /just maybe/, he would fall in love with him for real. It was ridiculous, and Keith would probably never actually love Lance. Still he missed waking up in the mornings and finding Keith outside his bedroom. His head rolled to the side as he slept with a light blanket around him sometimes. Lance never knew how long he'd stay out there, but he always pretended to be creeped out or annoyed when in reality it was the best part of his mornings.

     The blue paladin tossed and turned for a few minutes before sighing in defeat. He wanted to check up on Keith, and make sure he was okay. They hadn't talked about what happened earlier, and Lance wanted to get to the bottom of it. Would Keith get mad if he just marched in to his room? Maybe he should wait for morning…no. He needed to see him now. Lance quickly got out of bed and shoved his feet in his slippers. He walked out the door with determination, but was surprised when he saw Keith dosing off next to his door. The red paladin stirred and looked up at Lance. Keith suddenly went pale and wore a sheepish expression.

"Ah…s-sorry…I was just…s-sorry," he stuttered as he started to stand up.

"No, it's okay…I actually wanted to talk to you," Lance replied.

     Keith paused and watched as Lance leaned against the wall space next to him. He slid down until they were sitting next to each other and Lance sighed. Keith relaxed on the wall again and looked away from Lance. It was awkward like it usually was between them, but it was a little less awkward when Lance moved closer until their thighs were touching. The red paladin let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and instantly started to sink against Lance.

"Geez…" he murmured. Keith closed his eyes as he allowed himself to lean his head on Lance's shoulder.

"You okay?" Lance asked. Keith didn't respond for a moment and carefully inhaled his addictive scent. He missed being close.

"I don't wanna answer that," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't wanna lie to you."

"…and because you don't want to tell me you're not okay?" Lance asked. Keith was silent. "Keith?"

"Yes," he confirmed. Lance sighed again.

"What happened earlier?" He murmured. Keith bit his lip.

"Did you really mean it? When you said love is for losers?" Keith asked. Lance blinked.

"Is that why you're upset?"

"Not exactly…"

"Then tell me the real reason you're upset," Lance demanded. Keith hid his face in to Lance's shoulder.

"I'm so confused," he whimpered quietly.

"Confused about what? C'mon, Keith you can tell me anything," Lance assured him. Keith shook his head and Lance frowned.

"Listen…I know you don't…love me anymore, but that doesn't mean you can just pretend you never did. I don't care if it was because of a dumb flower." Keith peeked up at him. "You legitimately _loved_  me Keith, okay? So…" Lance sighed. "…it was like you were putty in my hands and I basically had to take care of you, so I actually _care_ about you, Keith. You're upset over something, and I just want to know what it is so I can fix it and make you feel better…"

"What do you mean?" Keith asked. Lance glanced down at him.

"About what?"

"You said I was putty in your hands and you had to take care of me. What does…what does that mean exactly?" He reiterated.

"Do you not remember? It was like…everything I did had a direct impact on you. When I was happy you were happy, and if I was upset you were…you were there for me and…" he pinched his lips as he looked away again. "…and it made me care for you a little more…more than everyone else," he confessed. 

     Keith was silent for a moment. He didn't remember it because he was still like that. The only difference was now he wasn't supposed to be in love with Lance. Now he was just hiding it better. Keith bit his lip.

"Lance…would you…perhaps…m-maybe be okay with…um…" he trailed off. His eyes skirted to the side out of embarrassment, and Lance adored the blush on his cheeks. "I've been having difficulties sleeping, and you said we could still be close. So um…I was wondering if maybe we could sleep together…like in the same bed I mean…" he mumbled. Lance didn't even hesitate when he answered.

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be another chapter of anyone wants it :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cuddles and possessiveness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeereyyyyyyyyy idk what's happeninggggggggg I'm updating from a car so yeah

     It was comfortable. Holding Keith's warm body close to his. Lance knew it was dangerous allowing himself to get closer with Keith, but there was no way he would say no to a chance at a good night sleep. If he was being honest he was having difficulties sleeping too. Keith's inquiry was truly a blessing because that night they slept in until noon, and they both laughed when they realized that they slept half the day away. After they got up it was Lance who suggested that they should share a bed more often. Keith was smiling and blushing the whole time and Lance suddenly felt an urge to be close again. His face heated up and he quickly excused himself to the dining hall. Despite being in his pajamas he had to escape the feelings that invaded his chest. He's never felt that before. It was rather strange.

     After that incident they shared a bed nearly every night. Some nights they tried to sleep on their own, but it would end with Keith tapping on Lance's door and Lance sighing with relief that he came by. It wasn't that he was against sleeping in Keith's room, but he felt a little too embarrassed to be the one tapping on Keith's door. That didn't mean he wouldn't, and he ended up coming to Keith's door as well as the days went by. They only went to each other when everyone was fast asleep, so they didn't think anyone knew.

     Having a sleeping companion was nice, but it was difficult avoiding cuddling. Not just  _cuddling_ , but like intense bed time Olympic snuggling. It was almost amazing how many different positions they woke up in. Keith's favorite by far was when he woke up with his face buried in Lance's abs and a tan leg hooked over his hip. Lance's fingers in black hair and his shirt pushed up so half of Keith's face was on warm cinnamon skin. That was definitely Keith's favorite. Lance's favorite position he woke up in was with Keith's warm body pressed against his back and his arm tightly around his waist. His pale fingers limply across his belly and lacking his usual gloves. He especially loved it when Keith woke up and held him tighter in the time between being unconscious and conscious. It was moments like that when Lance felt that feeling again.

     That feeling to be closer despite their existing lack of distance. The warm and full feeling in his chest when he shifted and turned to face Keith and saw his sleepy smile. This feeling of wanting to lean forward and diminish whatever existing space between them and squeeze him with affection. Lance felt that feeling too often, and no matter how much he allowed himself to cuddle in his half asleep state there was never the sense of satisfaction that he crave. He needed to do something about this. He needed to do something about _himself_ and his damn feelings for Keith because it was _over_. Keith wasn't in love with him anymore.

     They still never talked about the never have I ever game. Keith always avoided the topic and instead talked about something else. Lance didn't try and push too much, but he was still worried. He was scared he said something wrong. He was terrified that Keith hated him now after what he said when he lashed out. Logic told him that if Keith hated him he wouldn't have been cuddling with him for the past few days, but fear told him it was out of spite. Lance needed to do _something_ , but right now Keith was staring at him with those deep navy eyes and smiling a tired smile. The sight made his chest burn with some sort of need to express affection. So he poked him instead.

"Hey!" Keith groaned and scrunched his face after Lance's finger poked his nose.

"Stop that," Lance said pouting.

"Stop what?" Keith asked and rubbed the spot that Lance poked.

"You're seducing me or something," Lance decided. Keith chuckled.

"What? You're not falling for me, are you?" He teased.

     Lance blushed and poked his nose again. Keith whined and stuck his tongue out at Lance before nuzzling in to his neck and pulling him closer. Lance bit his lip in thought as his heart started to race. They had gotten so close, and the disgustingly sappy sweet feeling of being in love had only gotten worse. It made Lance nervous to have all these feelings for someone who said it was "over". He tried to forget about that day and instead opted for running his fingers through Keith's hair.

"When was the last time you bathed?" Lance asked. Keith made a sound that was similar to "I don't know" in to Lance's collarbone and sighed. "Your hair is greasy."

"Your personality is greasy," Keith bit back and curled his leg over Lance's hip to hopefully encourage him to fall back to sleep.

"What time is it?"

"Mmm…I dunno. Just sleep," Keith muttered.

     Lance sighed and succumbed to Keith's pleas. He held the red paladin in his arms and enjoyed the feeling of hot even breath on his collarbone. It didn't take long for them to both doze off again. Keith was usually the first to fall asleep, and Lance enjoyed his soft snores and unconscious smothering of affection against Lance. He was the kind of person who nuzzled and snuggled in his sleep, and that was a plus for Lance. The sensation of being squeezed and held was a guaranteed way to get him to sleep. Lately he didn't even need his sleeping mask since Keith always managed to put him to sleep.

     Unfortunately their blissful slumber was interrupted by the sound of the castles alarm going off. They both scrambled off of the bed and ended up with Lance pinning Keith to the floor and the side of his face squashed against Keith's nose. Groans were chased by panicked screams when they scrambled off of each other and raced out the door. When they managed to get out of Keith's room they fell immediately in to Pidge who squeaked and was smashed to the floor with the two boys.

"Shit!" Lance cursed and quickly jumped up.

     Pidge blinked at Lance, who was offering a hand to the red paladin, and then at Keith who accepted the blue paladin's hand with ease. They then looked at the open door behind them and eventually connected the dots. Although it would be best to confront them about this after they find out what the alarm was for…yeah.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"So I saw that you and Lance shared a room this morning," Pidge said to Keith once they were alone. The red paladin went stiff and looked down at them with wide eyes.

"W-what? W-we didn't-"

"You guys ran right in to me when the alarm went off, so don't try and lie to me," Pidge interrupted. Keith sighed.

"We've both been experiencing sleeping problems," he mumbled shyly.

"Hmm…" Pidge hummed and looked down at the map tech in their hands.

     They had been wandering through the planet for a while. It was best to scout it out on foot instead of in their lions since they didn't need to cover a large area and there were quite a few trees. Tall dark trees with red bases and dark purple-pink leaves that created a kaleidoscope on the ground from the white star in its solar system. They were broken up in to two groups, and Pidge had volunteered to be partnered up with Keith before Lance could get to him. Which was impressive considering what they had witnessed a half hour ago.

"So your solution was to bunk up?" Pidge inquired as they tapped the screen. The leaves seemed to be affecting the connection.

"Well we kinda just share a bed," Keith replied.

"Kinda?"

"Listen. Please don't tell anyone else. The others don't need to know," Keith pleaded. Pidge nodded.

"It's okay. I won't tell anyone, but I have to ask," Pidge looked up at Keith. "Are you still in love with Lance?"

     Keith tensed up again. He hated that question, and he hated how it was like an electric shock to his spine. Was it obvious? Or was it just because Pidge learned that they were sleeping together? Oh god what if it was so painfully obvious to everyone and he just looked like a total fool trying to hide it? What if it was obvious to _Lance_ and he was just too nice to let him down? Actually, scratch that. Lance is clueless and he would totally laugh at Keith if he found out he was still in love. Oh great.

"W-why do you ask?" He stuttered.

"Well. You guys used to hate each other, and now you guys are like…tolerating each other," Pidge said.

"Uh…is that a bad thing?"

"Not exactly. One less headache each time you two are in the same room. I was just curious," Pidge replied looking back to the map.

"Okay."

"But just so you know. If you and Lance are romantically involved you can tell us. We won't judge you guys," Pidge told him as the magenta dot started to blink again. The reception must've cleared up, or they must've wandered under a sun patch. Keith blushed.

"We're not. We're just…used to each other now and so…it's hard to explain-"

"We're almost there," Pidge interrupted and looked around. They spotted a small ship smashed in to one of the tall trees, and the paladins slowly approached it.

"Well that looks more toast than burnt bread," Pidge mumbled.

"Huh?"

"It's dead. We can't bring this back to the others. We're gonna have to call them."

"Maybe we should find a sunspot. It looks like the connection it bad again.

"Good idea."

     They managed to find a spot clear of leaves and then sent a message to the rest of the group. Shiro responded almost instantly telling them they would be right there with the person the ship belonged to. After that all there was left to do was to wait for them to come. Thankfully Pidge seemed to have dropped the subject of Keith and Lance being together, so the red paladin got a breather from that.

     Instead his brain was freaking out a little bit. He suddenly felt a little self conscious as he replayed the past few days with Lance. Did he come on too strong? Maybe he was really an open book and everyone just _knew_ he was still hopelessly in love with Lance. That was stressful to think about. Now he was going to second guess everything he did around and with Lance. At least when they were around the others…unless Lance suspected it too. Maybe he should go along with what Lance did. That way he wouldn't be making any bold moves and he'd be following his lead. Yeah…that sounded like a good idea.

"Wow! That is more toast than burnt bread!"

     Keith instantly jerked his head in the direction of Lance's voice. The blue paladin kicked the side of the busted ship. He didn't seem to pay Keith any attention despite the fact that he was on the opposite wing. That told him he should ignore Lance, or at least  _try_ to ignore Lance.

"That's what I said," Pidge spoke and stood next to Lance.

"Well. What should we do now?" Hunk asked.

"Oh no! This is my only ship. I have no other way of getting home!" The distressed alien said.

     Keith looked over at the humanoid figure and frowned at its feminine features. Their skin was black with red covering up to their elbows and knees similar to the trees. They had two wide pairs of thin eyes stacked with fluttery eyelashes and plump lips. Their hair was similar to the leaves and Keith could tell they were a native. He could also tell they were eyeing him for some reason.

"Don't worry. We'll take in the ship and we can repair it to the best of our abilities. Until then we can escort you to your home village," Shiro informed them.

"Oh it's okay. I think I'll stay and help. I know this ship best, but I wouldn't be able to fix this myself without any tools," they said.

"It's no problem, really-"

"Seriously. This ship means a lot to me," they insisted. Shiro nodded.

"Understood. Let's move this to the ship," Shiro instructed the paladins.

"Wait. You want us to carry this?" Lance asked.

"Yes. Now let's go," Shiro answered.

     Between the Paladins and the alien they managed to carry the small ship back to the castle. The new company turned out to be a bit of a chatty one. Everyone learned their name was Arimak and they lived on this planet their whole life. Sometimes they liked to explore more since their village didn't cover a lot of ground, and sometimes it was easy to get lost in the trees. Arimak explained to everyone how they were just flying peacefully and tried to fly over the leaves. It turned out that the trees were too tall and their speeder couldn't quiet reach that height. They ejected and signaled for help from anyone. The closest village was hundreds of miles away, and even if they could find their way back it would take weeks to get there. Of corse the team of Voltron was happy to help as always.

     Once the ship was inside the castle Arimak insisted that they worked on it and would ask for assistance when needed. Pidge was allowed to take a look at the software and fix a few things before Arimak got started, but after that the alien worked be themself in a free room. Of course all the Paladins checked in and made sure they were okay. The planet they had landed on was one of the hotter ones. Thankfully the AC was functional and working. If not they'd all be roasted and sweaty.

     Keith was kind of avoiding Lance. It wasn't like he was completely leaving the room whenever Lance was there, but he was definitely more reserved now. He sat with his hands in his lap to avoid reaching out and touching him, or he leaned away when Lance tried to come closer. It was definitely hard, but it was easier to resist Lance without the constant sweet pollen polluting his thoughts. That didn't stop his heart from racing whenever Lance touched his knee or talked with him a little too long. Usually Keith would have to snap out of it and focus his conversation on someone else. Damn this was tough. Lance probably didn't even care…

     Finally it was Keith's turn to check up on Arimak for the day. He was kind of thankful to get some space away from the rest of the group. As much as he enjoyed Lance he didn't enjoy trying to fight his feelings for the blue paladin. Especially under the pressure of his other teammates. It kinda gave him a headache. Alas his headache would only worsen the moment he entered the room Arimak had made use of. The charcoal-colored alien scooted out from underneath their speeder and grinned at Keith.

"Oh, hi!" They greeted eagerly and stood up.

"Uh. Hello," he replied.

"How are you?" They asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. I came to check up on your process and find out how much more time you might need," he announced. They nodded and wiped the grease from their red fingers.

"Right. Well I've got most of it figured out. I might be a while longer, but I should be speeding home before dinner time," they reported.

"Alright. I'll go ahead and tell-"

"Why don't you hang out a little bit?" They interrupted. Keith blinked.

"Huh?" Arimak shrugged.

"Y'know. Stay and keep me company? It's nice you all come and check up on me, but…" they trailed off as they stepped a little closer. "…I'm feeling a little lonely," they whispered. Keith tensed up and backed away. They followed.

"Uh…w-why didn't you ask one of the other Paladins to keep you company? I-I'm sure you'd prefer someone a lot more sociable than-" he was cut off as his back pressed against the wall. Arimak smirked and ran their lips up the side of Keith's neck.

"I think I prefer someone more…dark and mysterious. Someone who's nice to look at and doesn't talk a lot," they replied and pressed kisses over Keith's neck. He turned bright red and his body went ridged. This was unbelievably uncomfortable. Even if he was remotely attracted to them this would _not_  be okay. He quickly pushed them back by their shoulders and held them a safe distance from himself.

"I-I'm sorry but I am not comfortable with this arrangement I must respectfully decline your offer," he blurted looking at the ground.

"C'mon. No ones around. It's just me and you," Arimak coaxed and walked their fingers up his shoulder. "And I love a man in a uniform."

"I'm not interested, I'm sorry Arimak," he insisted.

"What's your name again? I think the blue one called you…Keith?"

"Arimak, please don't pursue this."

"Keith is a very cute name. Almost as cute as you," they continued. He clenched his teeth. Crap.

"L-listen to me! I'm not-"

"Keith? Are you done checking up on-" Lance popped his head into see what _looked_ like Keith pinning Arimak to the ground and instantly froze. The red paladin looked up to make eye contact, and the blue one instantly understood the fear inside of him.

"Oh! Sorry, Lance. Perhaps we should continue this another time," Arimak said dramatically as they clung to Keith's neck and kissed his jaw. Keith blushed again with wide eyes and couldn't move. Lance frowned before sighing.

"Nice try, Arimak, but I'm not falling for this," Lance said and offered a hand to help Keith up. The alien frowned and held themself up off the ground.

"What do you mean?" They asked.

"I mean I don't believe that Keith wanted you enough to pin you to the ground for a second," Lance sassed. Keith blushed. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, but he was glad Lance was there. He felt…safe all of the sudden.

"Why?"

"Because Keith is gay, and you look like a girl," Lance said bluntly.

"I don't know what that means," they replied stubbornly.

"It's means you're not his type," Lance said with a bit of impatience. Keith couldn't help but feel his heart flutter. Was Lance…being a bit defensive? Maybe a little…jealous? Arimak blinked and then looked between them. Then it looked as if a light bulb went off in their head.

"Oh. I get it. You two are dating," they said. Both of them turned bright red and Lance glared at them.

"W-we are not dating!" He defended as Keith looked away and shook his head. Arimak frowned.

"Uh huh, and water isn't wet," they snarked.

"But water is wet," Keith murmured in confusion. Lance sighed.

"Hey, buddy, why don't you go back and tell the others that we're okay. I'll take care of this," Lance told Keith. The red paladin hesitated, but nodded anyways. Lance waited until Keith was completely out of the room before he glared down at Arimak. They didn't look exactly intimidated. Instead they looked a little bored. He crouched down to their level.

"Are you jealous I kissed your boyfriend?" They teased with a slight smile. Lance kept his hard glare before grabbing the front of their shirt and tugging them closer.

"Listen, Arimak. If you do anything to make Keith feel uncomfortable again I will personally kick you off this ship myself. If you touch him, look at him, _breathe_ next to him, and it makes him feel uncomfortable you're out. Do you understand that?"

     Arimak blinked up at the blue paladin. Fear finally settled in to their eyes and Lance felt a sense of achievement. The alien tried to pull away and Lance let them go.

"I-I was just-"

"Seriously. Keith is more than just a pretty toy you can play with. He deserves your respect just like the rest of us," he continued.

"I'm s-sor-"

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Keith, and then leave him alone."

     Lance then left Arimak alone and stormed down the hall. Arimak sat by themself for a while before resuming their work on their speeder. The blue paladin was filled with a lot of emotions. Jealousy. Possessiveness. Anger. He was so overwhelmed with it that he didn't even notice Keith standing outside the door.

 

* * *

 

 

     Keith spent hours staring up at his ceiling. His heart never stopped racing the moment he had heard Lance confront (and threaten) Arimak. Ever since he heard Lance defend him like that. So intensely and meaningful as if he actually had feelings for him. Well…obviously he enjoyed Keith in some way. He just didn't know Lance liked him enough to think he deserves respect. It felt nice but also kinda scary. Almost unbelievable.

     Arimak left that night before dinner as promised and the team continued on to their next destination. Keith hadn't really paid attention to the details and had actively /literally/ avoided Lance as much as he could. He couldn't sit next to him anymore or even be in the same room because he was so fucking nervous. He was scared that he would just blurt out all of his feelings or that he hated everything Arimak did. That Arimak pulled him down on top of them and every second of contact made him sick. That he was ridiculously and hopelessly in love with Lance. It was stupid, but he was so helpless after hearing Lance stand up for him. He didn't think he could fall any deeper in love with Lance and yet there he was. Falling.

     Arimak did apologize and made sure not to step out of line. It seemed as if Lance's threats weren't forgotten. Keith was thankful for that.

     A sigh escaped Keith's lips. He twiddled his thumbs as he tried to sleep. It proved to be difficult considering he didn't feel the least bit tired. He was a little anxious to sneak out to Lance's room since he had been avoiding the blue paladin all day, so he had been pushing it off for the past two hours. Apparently he waited too long when he heard a tap on his door. His head jerked up and he nearly stumbled out of bed before standing in front of his door. He forced himself to take a deep breath and opened the door.

     Every time Keith saw Lance again it was like slipping in to a nice warm hot tube. The other boy positively radiated comfort and heat and Keith instantly felt a wave of drowsiness he had been missing all night. A smile split across his face as he looked up at Lance yawning. The blue paladin blinked down at Keith.

"I've been waiting for hours, dude. C'mon," he mumbled and shuffled in to Keith's room. It was rare for Lance to come in to Keith's room, but recently he was more willing. Especially when Keith didn't go over to his room due to over thinking.

"Sorry. I was thinking too much," Keith replied and followed him to the bed. Lance sat down on the edge and yawned again.

"That's when you come over to me, doofus. It feels like I haven't seen you all day," Lance hummed and reached out to grab Keith's hips. The red paladin allowed Lance to wrap his arms around his waist and lean his head on Keith's stomach.

"Did you fall asleep waiting?" Keith asked avoiding the last thing Lance said.

"No…almost. I can't without you," he murmured and tried to pull Keith down on the bed. He eventually succeeded and they both laughed as Keith landed on top of Lance.

"Damn. You weigh a lot," Lance groaned. Keith giggled a little and moved to snuggle against Lance's side.

"I work out," Keith replied. Lance chuckled.

"I know. It's hot," he said lazily. Keith blushed a little and moved his blanket to cover both of them.

"Mmm…I missed you today."

"You're acting as if I was gone all day," Keith said.

"Pidge totally stole you from me, and I didn't see you at all after Arimak jumped you," he argued. Keith blushed deeper. Pidge " _stole_ " him away from _Lance_. That definitely made his heart flutter. Well…maybe it was more than a flutter.

"I was busy," Keith lied. Lance hummed and merely turned to face Keith.

     The red paladin looked up to see Lance's closed eyes. He was barely awake for the whole conversation. Most of the times Keith fell asleep first, so seeing Lance so close to slumber was intriguing to him. He stared up at Lance and even dared to ghost his fingers over the blue paladin's features. His skin was soft and he seemed to welcome Keith's touch.

     Then Lance's lips pursed against Keith's fingers and he flinched a little. Lance hummed tiredly and sought out Keith's fingers again. The red paladin was surprised to feel kisses being pressed to his thin fingers. In fact he couldn't even move as Lance wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. The sudden movement brought Keith's mouth up to Lance's and the only thing separating their lips were two pale fingers. Red invaded Keith's face as he looked at Lance with wide eyes. Lance merely sighed and shifted his head as if to change the angle of the non-existent kiss.

"Mm…Keith…" he hummed. The red paladin pulled his head back and pressed his other hand to Lance's chest.

"Yeah?" He replied softly. Lance was silent until he chuckled a little.

"Keith…yer so…mmm…" he mumbled. Keith blinked. Was he…sleep talking?

"Cute…ess true…" he chuckled again. Holy shit. Was he dreaming about Keith?

"Lance?" Keith murmured in concern. He then laughed a little louder.

"Wow…yer still in love wih me? Heh heh…loser," he muffled as his head turned in to the pillow a little.

     Keith tensed up in Lance's arms. What the hell? Could he read minds or was he having a stupid dream about Keith humiliating himself? That was pretty fucking rude. Especially when Keith thought that Lance might actually feel something for him for once. Hearing that made him irritated, but Lance only held him tighter after those words. Keith hated to admit how much he loved feeling Lance hold him. It was almost possessive. Like earlier.

"…mm…heh…yeah," Lance hummed again. Keith sighed as he waited to be disappointed again, but his next words shocked him. "I love you too."

 

 

 

 

Wait.

 

 

 

What?

 

     Keith's jaw fell slack as he processed Lance's words. Did he…no. Keith must've heard him wrong. There was no way he was dreaming about saying that he loved Keith back. There was no way he was having a dream about Keith at all. That was ridiculous. Still, the tight grip he hand on Keith's waist argued otherwise. He bit his lip nervously and buried his face in to Lance's neck. He squeezed back tightly and took a deep breath.

"I love you, Lance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess talk to me if you want
> 
> Tumblr: fryingpanss.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter: @n0t_an_artist


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge makes a discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the last chapter… :|

     Keith was talking. He was speaking. Those small pink lips of his were moving, yet Lance couldn't hear a word. What did it matter? All he needed was to be close and to see, so he kissed him when he came closer. A smile split across Lance's face as he spoke. His words echoed like a whisper.

"Keith. You're so cute," he murmured against the red paladin's lips. Keith shook his head. "It's true." Lance insisted. He giggled and it sounded like a choir in a cathedral. Where were they? How did they get there? It was all too bright; it looked white. Lance felt like he was floating.

"I'm still in love with you, Lance," Keith's voice came in the same whispered tone as Lance. The blue paladin chuckled. "Lance?"

"Wow. You're still in love with me? Heh. Loser," he teased.

"But you love me too," he said. It wasn't a question. Lance chuckled again.

"Yeah, I love you too," he replied and held Keith tightly in his arms. Keith squeezed him back, and when he spoke it wasn't whispered or echoed. It was clear as day.

"I love you, Lance."

 

* * *

 

     When Lance woke up that morning he was slightly surprised to see Keith watching him. He blinked and then rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"What time is it?" He murmured.

"It's almost eleven," Keith answered.

"Were you watching me sleep or something?" He teased as he stretched. Keith shrugged.

"I woke up a little early," he replied.

"Mm…what time?"

"Nine."

"Damn. I didn't come around until like 1 am or something," Lance yawned.

"That's still like eight hours," Keith pointed out.

"I guess…how are you?" He mumbled and returned his arms around Keith. The red paladin blushed a little and reached out to run his fingers down the tendons in Lance's neck.

"Fine," he lied. Keith was a mixture of emotions. He was mostly scared, but he was also kinda happy. Listening to Lance talk in his sleep was entertaining, but those four words he muttered under his breath had stuck to Keith. He wanted to hear it again when Lance wasn't passed out. He wanted to hear it when he was fully conscious.

"Are you? You seem a bit off," Lance noticed. Keith looked up from his neck to his eyes.

"Remember what I said about lying? You can tell me anything."

     Keith sucked in a deep breath. How could he forget? Of course he remembered. He remembered the warmth of Lance's thigh pressed against his, and the concern in his eyes. He remembered how tightly Lance held him when he chased him down the halls and wiped away his tears. It was a feeling he could never forget even if he wanted to.

"A few days ago…during that never have I ever game…you looked confused," Keith said. Lance found himself wide awake when Keith's words hit him. Were they finally talking about this?

"Uh. What do you mean?" Lance asked.

"I mean…you kept moving your finger back and forth like you couldn't decide if you've ever been in love before," Keith explained.

"Oh. Um…yeah I guess I was kinda confused," Lance admitted. Keith nodded.

"Did…did you mean it when you said you weren't in love?" He asked. Lance blushed and shook his head.

"No. I was just…kinda embarrassed about it."

"Is it because you're ashamed?" Keith murmured. Lance blinked at him.

"Ashamed of what?" He questioned. Keith's eyes skirted away and he buried his face in Lance's neck.

"Are you in love with Allura?" He whispered against Lance's collar bone. Lance froze for a moment. Did Keith really ask that? "I understand if you are. I mean…she's great." Keith muttered.

"Keith, I'm not in love with Allura," Lance said. Keith's heart started to race.

"R-really? I mean…you're just so in to her all the time. You guys like…look at each other sometimes," Keith spoke with a tone of embarrassment.

"I look at a lot of people, Keith," Lance replied.

"You're…you're pretty in to her. Can you blame me for assuming?"

"I was in to her…but stuff happened," Lance said vaguely. Keith pulled back enough to peek up at Lance's face. He was blushing slightly, and Keith never grew tired of that beautiful rose color.

"What stuff?" Keith asked. Lance avoided his eyes.

"Well…someone else happened," he continued just as vague.

"Who?" Keith pressed.

"T-that's not important," Lance snapped. He sat up suddenly and held his knees to his chest, leaving Keith without his warm embrace. The red paladin pushed himself up off the mattress with one hand.

"Can you tell me about this person?" Keith asked. Lance nervously bit his lip.

"Uh…this person…they're…special. Y'know? They…they made me feel things I've never felt before," Lance stammered.

"Did you fall in love with them?" Keith asked. Lance hesitated and sighed when he felt Keith's hand on his back.

"Yes," he breathed and closed his eyes.

"Do you think they love you back?" Keith rested his head against the nape of Lance's neck.

"I dunno. I hope he does," Lance said. He reached for Keith's hand venturing over his shoulder and rubbed it with his thumb.

"I hope he does too," Keith murmured. His lips brushed against the back of Lance's neck, and the taller paladin shivered.

"Keith…I…" he trailed off when he felt the soft press of Keith's mouth on his nape. "I know he doesn't." Keith stopped. He pulled back.

"What makes you so certain?" He asked. Lance looked at Keith over his shoulder.

"He told me."

 

* * *

 

"Pink…spirals…love pollen," Pidge murmured.

     The green paladin stared down at their laptop. Across the screen was a picture of a plant along with text in an alien language. Pidge had spent half an hour figuring out the langue and then another ten minutes finding a way to translate it. At first the only earth language it was comparable with was Latin, but after that it was easy translating it in to English. Once it was readable Pidge scanned over the information they had just discovered.

"Pidge? What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Coran spoke when he found Pidge next to one of the healing pods. The green paladin didn't look away from the screen as they started to answer.

"Remember those pollen samples we got from Keith?" Pidge asked as they scrolled. Coran sat next to them.

"Uh, yes. I remember how little there was left. It's probably all gone now," Coran replied.

"Well I discovered its molecular structure and now I'm researching it. It's called amor excitatus in Latin. That was the only language directly comparable with the original alien language. In English it's call love awakened or 'love woke up' for a more direct translation," Pidge told him.

"Well, that's interest…wait, did you say love _awakened?_ " Coran questioned. Pidge nodded.

"That's correct. I'm reading about it now."

"What does it say?" Coran leaned over to see more of Pidge's screen and the green paladin cleared their throat.

"The amor excitatus is a rather rare plant with pink spiraling petals and yellow veins along its stem. Each flower is guarded by a cave that can only be opened by an act of love…wait, then how did Keith and Lance get in?" They murmured mostly to themself.

"Maybe it was like a teammate kind of love," Coran suggested.

"That's kinda fishy…"

"Read more," Coran urged.

"Okay…um, the amor excitatus pollen is extremely potent. It sticks to the inside of the nostril and clings on to the nose hairs until they have been filtered out and fertilized by pheromones…wait, flirting chemicals?"

"That kinda makes sense. For love to grow it needs proper attraction first," Coran said.

"I guess so…in order to insure a successful fertilization, the pollen only sticks to someone who has the potential to fall in love. Hence the reason there must be an act of love to access it. In order to deposit the pollen in the nasal cavity the pollen sprays in to the air when it detects high amounts of dopamine or other feel-good chemicals to various species-"

"Then why was Keith attacked?" Coran asked. Pidge scrolled further.

"Uhhh…ah-ha! Defense mechanism…when the amor excitatus is attacked it sprays all of its pollen to numb the attacker. It then takes that opportunity to climb up the attacker and consume it… That must've been why the veins started to climb up Keith's arm. It thought he was attacking it!" Pidge exclaimed.

"That makes perfect sense!" Coran grinned.

"Yeah…wait, what's this?" Pidge scrolled down further.

"Long-term side effects," Coran read.

"The long-term side effects of amor excitatus is an eternal mate. The pollen only activates when the person who inhaled it comes in contact with a compatible partner. If there is any chance a relationship could fail the pollen would stay dormant until a mate comes in contact. Even a victim of its defense mechanism will only fall for someone who would inevitably love them back…holy shi-"

"Quiznak! Do you know what that means, Pidge?" Coran shouted.

"It means-"

"Lance is either going to or has already fallen in love with Keith!"

 

* * *

 

     Lance glared at his plate of food goo. He shoved his spoon in to it and begrudgingly brought the green substance to his lips. It wasn't that he was angry. He was just tired. His brain was stuck on repeat thinking about Keith's warm lips against his nape that morning. He wanted to feel it again, but knew it probably wasn't going to happen. Keith was just tired, right? He woke up early and no one is in their right mind when they wake up early. Plus Keith doesn't like him. It's over. All of it is done and there's no chance for Lance.

     Keith was sitting next to him as usual and appeared to have forgotten all about it. He calmly ate his own goo and was either avoiding Lance's eyes or wasn't paying attention to him. Either way it irritated Lance. Less than a week ago Keith was all over him. He was constantly cooing and talking and touching him, but now it felt like he was…avoiding Lance.

     The feeling of pain and hurt was undeniable. Lance felt the sting when he realized Keith was deliberately leaving the room when he entered the previous day. He felt the burn when Keith never came to his door. Most of all he felt the agonizing sharp stab when Keith assumed he was in love with Allura. As if he wasn't fucking obvious. Surely everyone noticed how absolutely enslaved Lance was to Keith. The light touches. The flirty comebacks. The way he stared at Keith when he wasn't looking. For Christ's sake he slept with him literally every night now. How could someone be so blind?

     In reality Keith wasn't blind. At least he wasn't blind after that night. That morning. When he asked those questions and Lance gave him as much honesty as he could muster. He told him it was over, but it had barely even begun. Keith's heart burned every time he saw Lance, and he loved every second of contact they shared. He was constantly craving to be snuggled up in bed with Lance at all times, but he needed to stay focused on their daily training along with the few missions they had. It was quite a bit to deal with. He couldn't just doze off thinking about his tight embrace or the way his hands feel on his hips. Or the feeling of his cheek pressed to Keith's torso. Tan skin pressed against his black shirt and strong hands fitted perfectly on his hips. Damn that sounded nice…

"Keith?" The red paladin looked up at Shiro. "Are you okay?"

"…uh…yeah," he nodded. Shiro furrowed his brows.

"You sure? You look tired. Do you need to get some more sleep?" He asked. Keith shook his head.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. He could feel Lance's eyes on him and he turned his head to meet his gaze. The blue paladin's eyes widened and he looked at his goo with red cheeks.

"Lance?" He spoke in a hushed voice. Lance looked back at him.

"You don't have to look away," he told him. Lance swallowed hard and then nodded.

"Okay…"

"I won't look away either," Keith assured him. Lance blushed deeper.

"Do you even look in the first place?" He mumbled and toyed with his food.

"Of course I do," Keith replied and reached out to touch Lance's hand. His face heated up beyond belief and he glared at his goo before Keith let go.

"O-okay," he stuttered.

"So are you guys dating now?" Shiro asked. Lance looked up at him with wider eyes while Keith made eye contact calmly.

"N-no! W-what gave you that idea?" Lance stuttered. Shiro shrugged.

"You guys have been getting along pretty well recently," he noted. Keith smiled a little.

"That's because Lance finally removed his head from his ass," Keith teased. Lance glared at him.

"My head was never _in_ my ass!" He hissed. Keith chuckled and leaned over to kiss his cheek before standing up.

"Whatever you say. I'll see you later," he said before leaving the dining hall. Lance glared at his plate with a completely red face. There it was again. The warm press of Keith's lips. Why hasn't he savored it? Oh yeah. Because Shiro was right in front of him.

"Uh…are you sure you guys aren't-"

"We're not dating! H-he's just being weird!" Lance snapped and got up to storm out of the dining hall. Shiro sighed.

"Whatever you say…"

 

* * *

 

"What do we do?" Pidge asked. Coran tapped his chin in thought.

"I'm not sure…" he said.

"That's not helping!" Pidge shouted and gripped the edge of their computer.

"Calm down! We have basically two options. We either tell them or we don't," Coran replied.

"Coran, we _have_  to tell them," Pidge insisted.

"Why?"

"Because if they try to figure it out on their own it'll most definitely end in disaster!"

"How can you be so sure?" Coran asked with his arms crossed.

"It's Keith and Lance. Only they could fuck up something like a guaranteed love spell," Pidge deadpanned.

"While you do make a good point, I think we should see how it goes and intervene when necessary," Coran proposed.

"When is it necessary? When they're at each other throats and in tears because of all their miscommunication!" Pidge challenged.

"Uh…yeah. Pretty much," Coran confirmed.

"Coran. Keith and Lance are my friends. They're my teammates. I'm not gonna let them suffer when I can do something about it," Pidge said stubbornly.

"Pidge. Do not tell either of them about this, okay? We must leave them alone and let fate and the pollen do its thing," Coran urged.

"C'mon, Coran. They're both confused! We can't withhold this information from them. They have the right to know!" Pidge persisted.

"I'm sorry, Pidge, but we can't intervene. This isn't up to us."

"Seriously Coran. I can't not tell them," Pidge growled and shut their laptop.

"Pidge. There's no guarantee telling them will help them," Coran warned.

"I don't care. They have the right to know," Pidge said. The green paladin stood up and marched out of the room. Coran sighed.

"Oh…quiznak."

     Pidge made it their mission to find either Keith or Lance. They didn't care which one they got to first. All they knew was that they needed to talk to at least /one/ of them. If not they would tell both of them. It was more likely that they would be together considering how close they had been the past few weeks. Needless to say Pidge was rather surprised yet relieved when he ran in to Keith first.

"Keith! Oh my god!" They shouted as they quite literally ran _into_ Keith.

"Whoa, Pidge! Are you okay? You look worried," Keith said and stopped the green paladin from slamming in to his chest. Pidge nodded vigorously.

"Keith! I found important information about the flower that attacked you!" They blurted.

"Uh…okay?" He replied.

"It's called the amor excitatus which means love _awakened_."

"What's so special about that?" Keith asked.

"Dude, love _awakened!_ Don't you understand what that means?"

"No," Keith said.

"Ugh! I researched it and the pollen remains dormant until you come in contact with a _potential_  mate! It feeds off of pheromones and it'll only sticks to people who will have a successful relationship," Pidge explained further.

"Um…that's nice? What does that mean?" Keith asked. Pidge groaned.

"It means you wouldn't have fallen in love with someone who wouldn't love you back!" They shouted. Keith blinked.

"You're not making any sense, Pidge."

"Oh my god Keith! Lance is in love with you!" Pidge screamed. Keith frowned and crossed his arms.

"How do you know that?"

"Dude, I just explained it to you," Pidge said.

"Yeah, but _I'm_  the one who got effected by the pollen. How are you so certain Lance is in love win me?"

"Because it's kinda obvious? Plus the pollen would've remained dormant until you found someone who would love you back. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but when two people sleep together there's usually more to it than 'sleeping problems'," they explained. Keith blushed.

"Y-you know for sure?" He stuttered. Pidge nodded vigorously.

"Yes! I'm sure!"

"But…but did he tell you that himself? How can you just assume-"

"I'm not assuming. I'm making an educated guess off of the information I learned and the observations I have made between you and Lance. You guys are both idiots and you're both in love with each other," Pidge assured him. Keith looked over his shoulder back at the dining hall.

"Have you seen Lance? I need to tell him too," Pidge said. Keith snapped his attention back to Pidge.

"No!"

"No?"

"I mean…I'll tell him," Keith said.

"Oh. Are you sure? I can explain the scientific part of it," Pidge offered.

"I think I should tell him first. T-then we'll come to you if we need to," Keith assured him.

"Okay then…well you should do it as soon as possible. He deserves to know too," Pidge said. Keith nodded, but he seemed to be distracted.

"Right. Got it. I'll tell him," he replied.

"Good."

"Good."

 

* * *

 

     It wasn't that Keith was lying. He had full intentions of telling Lance the news Pidge had delivered to him…but maybe not right away. He wanted to hear it for himself. Not from Lance when he was asleep. Not from Pidge and his "educated guess". Granted Pidge was extremely intelligent and was most likely right. Keith just wanted to hear it from Lance so he wouldn't double guess himself when he told him about the flower. It was still kind of confusing since Pidge used words like "pheromones" and "dormant" that Keith struggled to remember from school. Mostly because he dropped out, but also because of memory. 

     Anyways. He needed to get Lance to confess when he was conscious. That is if Keith could find him. He wasn't in the dining hall when Keith went back to check, and he wasn't in either of their rooms. He wasn't in the observation deck, the main deck, or even the training deck. All the decks were Lanceless and it was starting to frustrated Keith. Was he hiding or something? This didn't make any sense. It came to the point where Keith was desperate and went as far as checking the Blue Lion hanger.

     At first glance it looked empty, but Keith couldn't afford to leave any stone unturned. He ventured under the lion's belly and sighed with relief when he found Lance leaning against one of the legs. The blue paladin was oblivious to Keith's presence until he sat down next to Lance. He looked over at his teammate without a word, but quickly returned his gaze to the ground. Keith sighed and twiddled his thumbs together. He was about to speak when he felt Lance lean his head on his shoulder. The silence continued and he rested his cheek on the top of Lance's head. He tensed up at the contact and Keith looked down at him.

"You okay?" He asked breaking the silence. Lance nodded and let out a shaky breath.

"Yeah. I just…I thought you were gonna kiss the top of my head or something," he muttered.

"Oh. Did you want me to?" He murmured. Lance took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I dunno," he murmured back. Keith chuckled a little and then pressed a kiss to the top of Lance's head. The blue paladin blushed. "T-thanks."

"Is there a reason you expected me to kiss you?" Keith questioned in a soft voice as he slowly slipped his fingers between Lance's.

"You've kinda been doing that recently. Like this morning when I woke up and at breakfast…" he trailed off looking at their fingers.

"Hm…do you not like it? Should I stop?" Keith continued. Lance pulled his head back up and away from Keith. He was bright red and he couldn't bare to let Keith see that.

"I dunno," Lance said.

"Well…do you like it when I kiss you?" Keith leaned closer and ghosted his lips over Lance's now exposed neck. The blue paladin shivered.

"A lot more than I should," he answered.

     Keith giggled a little and Lance swallowed hard. Then Keith was kissing him. _Keith_ was _kissing_ him. Well it was actually more like he was kissing Lance's neck, but he was still kissing Lance. His lips were soft and gentle and most of all chaste. It was a comforting feeling that Keith elicited inside of him. It was a feeling of warmth and _love_ that Lance always got whenever he was close. Except it was now in its purest form. It was now focused solely on Lance channeled through Keith's lips and he loved every second of it. The red paladin settled his hand over Lance's chest as he continued fluttery kisses up to his jaw. It started to tickle once he got behind the ears.

"W-why are you doing this?" Lance stuttered. He pulled away from Keith's lips so the tickling would cease. For some reason he didn't expect to see the slightly disappointed look on Keith's face.

"Didn't you say you like it?" He questioned. Lance's mouth felt dry.

"I mean…yeah, but why do you care if I like it?"

"Because I care about you, Lance, and I want you to feel good," he whispered and leaned closer again.

     Lance jumped backed and caught himself on his elbows. He was half skewed across the floor with Keith between his legs and looking up at him. It was all too familiar to the first day he was attacked by the flower. There was that same glint in his navy eyes.

"Keith…are you okay?" He asked. Keith hesitated, but didn't answer. Instead he crawled closer and brought his face closer to Lance.

"I wanna kiss you," Keith said. Lance's eyes widened.

"Keith-"

"I mean more than just on your neck, or the top of your head. I mean I wanna kiss you on the mouth," he confessed further. Lance blushed and lowered himself closer to the ground to back away. He shook his head.

"K-Keith…I don't think you're in the right mind right now," he said. Keith raised a brow. "I-I mean…you're acting kinda weird is all."

     Keith looked at him with unwavering navy eyes. Lance could've sworn he saw a bit of purple in them the closer he got. Pale forearms were on either side of Lance's head as the space between them got smaller and smaller. The blue paladin was frozen with fear and only managed to turn away at the last second.

"God…dammit, Keith!" He growled and threw his hands over his face. The red paladin sat back between Lance's open legs. He huffed and looked at Lance with displeasure. "How am I supposed to move on when you do things like this?" He mumbled and rubbed the heel of his palms in to his eyes. Keith blinked.

"What?"

"You said so yourself, Keith. _It's over_. There's no more pollen. The freaky love flower isn't even within a light year of us anymore and that you hate me again. So if you're not in love with me anymore what are you _doing?"_  He blurted. Keith gaped at him. Well…that was kinda unexpected.

"Lance, I-"

"I mean I can only resist so much! First you're all over me and then it's 'normal' but it's never back to 'normal'. Now we just sleep together and then avoid each other all day! I don't know what to make of this and I don't want to offer any more of myself when it's 'over' and we're supposed to be _hating_ each other." Lance was sitting up now and glaring at the floor. He rested his elbows on the top of his knees and rested his mouth on his forearms.

"Lance-"

"I don't wanna hate you…not anymore at least. I mean…I like being around you, and I like talking to you. I like touching you. I like being _close_  to you and constantly feeling how warm you are. I like waking up to you first thing in the morning. I like holding your hand and making you blush and laugh and I like listening to your voice. I don't think I could ever go back to hating you. Not after whatever this is…not after all those times you said you loved me."

     He sighed and then stressfully ran his hand through his hair. Keith was speechless as Lance finally managed to make eye contact. It took him a little bit for him to return his jaw to the rest of his skull. It took him a little longer to finally say something in return.

"I can't hate you either," he whispered. Lance let out a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Keith…I just…I just wanna hear you say it again. Even if it's not true, and it stopped being true a long time ago. I wanna hear it again," he nearly begged. Keith lifted Lance's head from his forearms and looked him in the eyes. He didn't care if it wasn't the exact words Lance wanted to hear. The only words he could at at that point were…

"I'm still in love with you, Lance," he whispered. The blue paladin looked like that simple sentence removed all stress from his life. Like it solved all his problems and improved his quality of life. Like knowing that Keith loved him was the only think he needed to be happy.

"Do…do you mean that?" Lance asked. Keith nodded.

"Yes. Yes of course I do. I never stopped loving you," he breathed. Keith surged forward and wrapped his arms around Lance's neck. Their foreheads gently collided as Keith crawled in to his lap and held him tightly.

"I'll always love you," Keith promised with shut eyes.

"God, I love you too Keith. I was so scared of loving someone who didn't love me back and-"

"I'm sorry I should've been forward with my feelings from the beginning, but I couldn't tell how you would react. I just played it safe and-"

"I should've told you I was falling for you. I shouldn't have danced around it or pretend to not like you back. Even with the pollen, god I'm so stupid," he hissed with a frown as he reach up to cup Keith's face.

"No, you're not stupid. I'm stupid. I'm stupid for thinking you wouldn't be affected. I'm stupid for letting this go on for so long," Keith insisted. Lance shook his head and continued to move his hands up and down Keith's back. Keith practically petted Lance's hair as he ran his fingers through the locks as well as caressed and cupped his face lovingly.

"Goddammit, Keith. We're both stupid. Mostly me, but…fuck. I don't care anymore. I'm in love with you," he said desperately and reached up to hold Keith's face. The red paladin smiled a little and laughed.

"Fuck. I'm in love with you too," he murmured.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked. Keith nodded.

"Please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end?


End file.
